Six Seahawks earn All-CCC selections
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) announced its all-league baseball team today and six Salve Regina University players were voted to the squad - seniors Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn.), Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.), Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.), and Vincent Roth (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.), sophomore Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.), and freshman Alek Kucich (Old Brookville, N.Y.). Kelly and Roth were named first team outfielder and pitcher, respectively; Colby and Di Sano scored second team selections at outfielder and catcher, respectively; while Conte and Kucich earned honorable mention status at first base and designated hitter, respectively.
"This is the second year in a row we have had six members of the team recognized as All-CCC ... and I think under different circumstances we could have had eight or nine guys awarded," said head coach Eric Cirella, in his first full season at the helm for Salve Regina (25-12; 11-5 CCC). "There are certainly a few more deserving. But in the end the only award that matters is a CCC championship that everyone gets to share. We have been playing better baseball over the last two weeks so I am excited to see how we perform. I really believe any of the six playoff teams could win it, that's how much parity there is right now."
Kelly, who repeats as a first-team outfielder in his second year in the conference, has the second-most runs scored (39) while batting .362 this season primarily in the leadoff position for the Seahawks. The aggressive-swinging right-hander has walked nine times while collecting 15 extra-base hits (two home runs, five triples, eight doubles).
Roth (7-1) is tied for the most pitching wins in the conference. The senior lefty has hurled two complete-game shutouts this season while maintaining a 1.34 earned run average in 49.0 innings pitched. His 7.35 strikeouts per game ranks fourth-best in the conference.
Colby has played in all 37 games for the Seahawks this season, starting in 36. He has eight multiple-hit games including a 4-for-4 performance at Eastern Nazarene on April 21 (game one) where he collected two runs batted in and two doubles. Colby is tied for ninth in the league in both runs scored (25) and runs batted in (23).
Di Sano leads all CCC players with 38 runs batted in. His two home runs and 11 doubles give hime 13 extra-base hits among his 38 total hits. The senior catcher has been behind the plate in all 37 Seahawk games handling every pitch except for a handful of innings, while sharing the league lead with 14 runners caught stealing.
Conte, making the All-CCC for the first time in his career, ranks fourth in the league in bases on balls (14). The versatile fielder has logged innings in the outfield and both corner infield positions. He has produced the team's third-best on-base percentage (.429) while coming around the bases to score 19 times. Conte's 13 runs scored in CCC games ranks fifth in the league.
Kucich and Kelly both have a .362 batting average, with the freshman left-hander getting only 47 at-bats. Appearing in 25 games as a catcher/utility player, Kucich has 10 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. Kucich had a season-high four RBI during a 10-3 win against Fredonia State in spring break competition in Fort Myers, Fla.
Salve Regina has won eight of its last 10 games, the best mark of any CCC school. The Seahawks earned a tie for third with the Golden Bears (both 11-5 in league play), but Western New England secured the tiebreak with its regular-season sweep over Salve Regina. The two teams will meet today in Springfield for first-round action in the CCC baseball double-elimination championships (3 p.m.).
The Seahawks have maintained a top ten ranking in each of the first two NCAA regional polls - http://d3baseball.com/notables/2014/05/regional-rankings-week-two.